Apparatus for burning oil as gas



y 4, 1936. c. B. HILLHOUSE APPARATUS FOR BURNING OI L AS GAS Filed Dec.8, 1934 TORNEY Patented July 14, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,047,871 APPARATUSFOR BURNING OIL As GAS Charles B. Hillhouse, New York, N. Y., assignorto Sylvia Remsen Hillhouse, New York, N. Y.

Application December 8, 1934, Serial No. 756,689

6 Claims.

ing oil as gas, and more particularly to anapparatus for combustion ofoil wherein a portion of the fuel to be burned, preferably oil or other5 hydrocarbon, is caused to combust in a manner to produce hotcombustible gases which are a mixed at a suitable temperature'with alarger portion of fuel to gasify it, and these mixed gases may be burnedwith sufficient air at some dis- 10 tance from the zone of gasificationto produce the main zone of combustion.

A main object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein aportion of the fuel, preferably oil, is heated and burned as apreliminary 15 step with insufficient air for complete combustion so asto produce combustible gas and, thereafter, another portion of fuel isintimately mixed with the hot products of partial combustion and gas togasify the main portion'of fuel mixed 20 therewith.

Another object is to provide an apparatus wherein the main portion ofoil is gasified and 1 maintained gasified in asuitably heated statewhile mixed with the gases formed. by the par- 25 tial combustion of thesmaller portion of oil un- 1 til the mixture is permitted to meetpreheated air in the burner or burners.

Another object is to provide means to control the temperature of thegases formed by partial 3.0 combustion so that, when the larger portionof oil is sprayed into or mixed with these gases,

there will be sufficient-sensible heat in the gases to gasify the mainportion of oil, but not enough sensible heat to cause any detrimentaldeposition of carbon at the time or point of mixing particularly wherethe burners. are situated at a considerable distance from the point ofproduction.

This application is a continuation in part 0 my application, Serial No.689,767, filed July 10,

1933, allowed September 1, 1934, and relates to a preferred form ofapparatus for carrying out the method covered by said prior application.In

the present application, the smaller portion of oil to be preheated isconducted through a spirally formed metal tube which is positioned tosurround the hot combustion zone in a manner to preheat this smallerportion of oil before it 50 is discharged into the zone where thissmaller portion of oil is partially combusted. I provide also a means inthe form of spirally arranged cooling coils located in a manner toregulate the temperature of the hot gases of partial combus- 55 ;tionand, thereby indirectly, the temperature My invention relates to anapparatus for burnat which the larger portion of oil, or fuel, isgasified. Additional means are provided to maintain the gasified oil ina heated state until the gasified ,oil and gases of partial combustionare mixed with sufiicient air in the main 5 fuel burner. This additionalmeans may comprise air that has been preheated by proximity to thepartial combustion zone for the purpose of maintaining a reducedtemperature thereof; and which air, so preheated, is applied and used tomaintain the main portion of gasified oil in a suitably heated state byindirect heat exchange relation thereto preferably as a hot jacketaround the mixed gases. This preheated air is finally consumed, all orin part, by being mixed into the. made gases in the main burner orburners; which, owing to the application of heat as a surroundingjacket, may be positioned at a distance from the gasifier described,thereby producing a more efiicient method of combustion. If the distancebetween the point of gasification and the burner is short and amplemeans are applied to prevent material loss of heat from i the gasmixture, I may dispense with the use of the heat applied as asurrounding jacket.

In the accompanying drawing, .Figure 1 shows a vertical cross-section ofan oil burner constructed to carry out the method described;

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 shows a modification wherein means are provided to maintain thetemperature of the return gases.

In the preferred form of apparatus shown, a gasification chamber l isshown as having an outer heat insulating wall 2 and an innerrefractory'wall 3 to provide an air conducting space 4. 40 The smallerportion of oil that is to be gasified, or partially combusted, issupplied under a suitable pressure from a conduit 5 into a spray tube 6.

A device 1 is adapted to inject the oil by air fiow therethrough. Thetube 6 leads into chamber l and the oil spray therefrom is conductedthrough a spirally arranged pipe 8 into a burner 9 to which it is fedfrom anozzle ID. This oil is preheated in spiral pipe 8 which surroundsthe partial combustion zone above burner 9. A blower ll supplies air toa conduit l2 which is connected to a conduit l3 which terminates in anair feed pipe I 4 within burner 9. A valve 15 serves to control airsupply to burner Sin sufficient amount to cause partial combustion, thatis, enough air is used to burn all the carbon in that portion of oil toGO,

but not enough air to combust the hydrogen nor make any 002. Air frompipe [4 draws in heated oil from the spiral 8 at the throat ID of nozzlel0. If desired, starting of burner 9 may be facilitated by heating oilin pipe 8 with electric heating coils therein.

Air from conduit I2 enters the space 4 at inlet l6 and passes upwardlyaround the heated wall 3 to become preheated. Air from the blower llpasses also through a conduit I1 and valve l 8 and an inlet I9 into aspirally arranged conduit 28',

that surrounds the zone of combustion from burner 9. The air in conduit2E) extractsheat from this zone of combustion inan amount regulated. byvalve l8 and leaves the conduit 20 byanoutlet 2| which communicates withthespace t. r

The preheated air in space 4 passes upwardly and is conducted along apath to surround the gas outlet'conduit being confined ina space 23formed between the: conduit 22 and a heat insulated wall 24'. Thegasesirom chamber I- pass upwardly through an outlet throat 25 intothe-conduit 22."

The larger portion of oil fuel is suppliedfrom it pipe 27 andis sprayedinto the throat 25 by means of? an oil injecting'd'evice 26, the oilflow being controlled by the valves Hand 28".

Oil sprayed intothe throat 25 is gasified and, is maintained in agasified state by application thereto of heated air in thespace 2 3which air functions as-a heated insulating. medium, hence.

this oil gas maybe efiiciently conducted an appreciable distance fromthe chamber 1 to a suitable burner-29 or auxiliary burners 29'. Heatedair from. the space 23- is supplied to the. burner through. air inlet 30and the oil gas is supplied.

throughvthe gasinlet. 3i. V

The airxpas sing through the spiral conduit 20 serves. to draw offexcess heat. fromithe gasesof partial combustion in the chamber l beforehavingthe larger portion of oilfuel sprayed into these gasesat thethroat 2.5 so that the mixturewill assume the exact temperature desired.The temperatureof: the gases and gasified oil admitted to the conduit22-is soregul'ated; thatthe mixture have a temperature of about :600:degrees F. or:.below a. temperature atiwhi ch, there be any dissociationof carbon to form a deposit, The chamber 2%,!24. isrin .efiect, separatefromthe combustion chamber 1, 2 and may be structurallyassociatedwithrthe latter irrany desired manner providing that hot gasesgenerated in the latter, h I may be passed into the: chamber 2:2; togasify oil sprayed thereinto. V.

In order to maintain a complete gas cycle, my invention. includes thefeature of. maintaining. a supply of. made gasfrom the burner in excessof thatrequired-for any maximum demand of the burner or-rburners and anygas not consumed at the burner is returned, to. the point where, the newoil-gasgis; being formed. To accomplish this purpose, theexcess. gasisdrawn .012 at a. point ad,-=

. jace'nt. the burner; through. an outlet 32into a return conduit33 andis discharged at an'outlet nozzle 3,4-into the gas stream thatentersconduit 22. A blower 35 may be used in conduit, 33';

to facilitate return of this unused gas.

In Fig l, the gas return conduit 33' is shown. as enclosed within. thejacket 24 in a manner to maintain. the temperature ofnthe returned gassubstantially equal to the temperature of the gas in the conduit 22".If"desired,'the conduitend.

34Lmay bepositioned. infront of the throat 25 in? steadoi' in the rearthereof, as shown.

bustion. Thisrair is then passed into space 4 and out of the gasgenerator and into the space '23 to--fl'ow al ong the conduit 22. or nointerchange of heat between the hot air jacket and the made; gases whennot over 200 degrees F. difference in temperature exists betweenthemwhen only a short time has elapsed for transier of the gas to theburner. The portion 25 and isgasified and is maintained in that'fornrdue to the'stabilizing'action of heated air in the spaced 3 surroundingthis gas.- "This heated, air; all or in part, in turn, issupplied to theburners to combust with made gases admitted from fuel 251 passage 31-. rV

Ihetemperature to be aimed at for the mixture of sprayedoil and gases ofpartial combus--. tion should be about 600 degrees F. so to be sei curefrom any carbon deposition. To prevent any 301 breakdown of theunstableoil gases before reach ing' the burner 29, thepipe 22- conveyingthe above mixture is encased inanother pipe 2'4 making a double shell.The hot air between theseshellsis maintained; atabout 450: degrees- FDue to these? relation of made oil gas and heatedv air and the rstabilizing action. of the heated air upon the temperature otthe. oilgas, the oil gas may be conveyed to a burner: orsburners located atsome'distance; i

from the gasifier without appreciable change in character. of the. finalmixture or generated oil gases. .One of thevessential -features of thisapparatusis. to control v the-temperature. of the zone of gases ofpartial combustion AB'- so that :whenthe larger portion oi"; oilissprayed' into them, 45

there will, bev enough. sensibleheat the gases to gasify the oil butnot. enough-to cause any deposition of carbon. is brought about-by thecoolingefiect of the air which is passed through the spiral conduit 20;,r gasification does notvmakea fixed gas but: the'flgas'or gases arepermanent solong: as they I are kept at a temperature suiificiently highto pre-. ventv their liquificatiom For instance, gasoline is a gas;atitstemperatureiof distillation but at at- 5'5 4 mospheric pressureand;normaltemperature takes I a liquid form.. So: what I. am doing. .wherrIapply generated hot combustiblergas to a spray of oil, when theresulting, or final temperatureis about 650 degreeslifi, isto gasify.the oil. andnotmerely 60" vaporizeith Therefore, 1 propose to keep that.latter gasat a; temperature above its reversion= point, and-burn;amixture-of true gases inpthe,

I burners, thoughit is not necessarily a mixture of fixed gases at,atmospheric pressure and normalfid 7 e e a ure- 7,. o s. M,

The temperature of the hot gases of partial combustion may be from 900degrees to 1000 degrees F. at the. instant ofv spraying oil into same,butthe temperature of conversion or lowestt'emperature after productionof'themixture of gases will benot over about 650 degrees, whereby therewill be no tendency to produce deposition of car'- bona's might occur athigher temperatures than There is little 7 of oil from conduit 26 issprayed into the throat '20 While the apparatus disclosed is intended toillustrate a preferred form of the apparatus, it is to be understoodthat variations thereof are contemplated such as will be embraced withinthe scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for burning oil comprising a chamber, means to supply oil tosaid chamber, means to partially burn said oil to produce a hotcombustible gas, a burner, a conduit connecting said chamber to saidburner, a jacket compartment around said chamber, a jacket compartmentaround said conduit, and means to force air within the first-namedcompartment to heat the air, said compartments being in communication topermit the heated air to flow into the secondnamed compartment.

2. A device for burning oil comprising a chamber, a main burner, aconduit connecting the chamber and burner, an auxiliary burner for fuelwithin said chamber for maintaining a zone of hot combustible gas insaid chamber, means for passing liquid fuel into the zone of hot gas togasify said fuel, the gasified fuel being supplied to the main burnerthrough said conduit and means for by-passing a portion of the made gasfrom a point adjacent the junction of the conduit and the main burner toa point adjacent the juncture of the conduit and the chamber and feedingsaid portion of gas into the stream of hot newly made gas.

3. In an oil burning device, a gasification chamber, a main burner, agas conduit connecting the chamber and burner, means for convertingliquid fuel to gas in said chamber, said gas being supplied to the mainburner through said gas conduit, and a return conduit between the mainburner and the chamber, said return conduit serving to return to thechamber all excess gas not consumed at the main burner, a jacketsurrounding the gas conduit, means to supply a heating medium within thejacket, the return conduit being positioned in the space between the gas5 conduit and the jacket.

4. In an oil burning device, a combustion chamher, an auxiliary burnerin said chamber, means to supply fuel to said burner and partially burnsame to produce a hot combustible gas, a casing 1 surrounding saidchamber and spaced therefrom, means to supply air between the chamberand casing to heat the air, means to spray liquid fuel into the hotcombustible gas to gasify the sprayed fuel, a main biu'ner, a conduitfor conducting 15 made gases from the chamber to the main burner, ajacket around said conduit, the heated air from within the casing beingpassed between the conduit and the jacket.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 4, a return 20 conduitinterconnecting the outlet of the conduit to the outlet of the chamber,and means for forcing gas not consumed at the main burner through thereturn conduit to the chamber.

6. An oil burner comprising a chamber, means for partially burning aportion of fuel to form a hot combustible gas, means to feed, in sprayform, a portion of oil into the hot combustible gas to gasify said oil,a conduit positioned within said chamber in position to contact the hotgas of partial combustion, means for passing a supply of cooling airthrough said conduit to extract heat from said hot gas, a main burner, aconduit for passing the made gases to the burner, and means for passingthe heated air from said first-named conduit in indirect heat exchangerelation with the made gases in said last-named conduit.

CHARLES B. HILLHOUSE.

